Journal Entry ~ 04/08/18

9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. - Philippians 2:9-11

Many ask the question, if Jesus is exalted as Lord, then why does He allow evil and suffering?  Why do people who have confessed He is Lord endure such trials? 

We don’t have a direct answer to this question, but we do know from scripture that evil reigns in this world. We also know who wins in the end.  We know God’s goodness will ultimately defeat the evil that exists in the world, and that His patience in coming is because He wants none to perish. He is using the evil in this broken world to bring each one of us to repentance. The evil that exists in this world doesn’t exist outside of each one of us, it exists within each one of us. Don’t be mistaken and think because you have accepted Christ, He will somehow make your life more comfortable, protecting you from the evil of the world. That’s not what He promises. He promises to grow you into the image of Christ, and He does so using the broken world we live in. 

The ‘therefore’ at the beginning of this passage refers to the most important characteristic of Jesus and the reference point for why He is exalted - His humility. God wants us humble. He will continue to allow certain situations into our lives to promote our humility, to grow us more like Jesus. So He will allow us to marry difficult people, work with challenging people, have trying familial relationships, endure financial struggles, receive difficult diagnoses - all so He can increase our humility. He wants to grow our need for Him and for other people - by doing this, He will grow our compassion and our love of others. 

Humble yourself in that difficult trial, and allow the victory of our exalted Lord to reign in you. 


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

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